The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present inventions. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or relevant, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The bacterial genus Campylobacter are gram-negative, spiral-shaped motile pathogenic bacteria that include numerous species associated with many animals, both domestic and wild, commonly found in chickens, turkeys, cattle, sheep, horses and rodents. The bacteria can infect the host animal through various routes of transmission, including by food, water, and through contact with other animals. Contamination of meat in a slaughterhouse is also prevalent. Humans are frequently infected with Campylobacter jejuni by handling or consuming poultry products. Campylobacter infections in humans also surpass the number of Salmonella infections (Walker et al., Microbiological reviews, 50: 81-94 (1986)). Campylobacter jejuni is the most common Campylobacter species isolated in association with human diarrhea. Campylobacter jejuni is responsible for approximately 2 to 3 million cases of foodborne illness per year in the U.S. with an estimated cost of treatment and loss of productivity of $8 billion annually (Buzby, J. C. et al (1997), J. Infect. Dis. 176 Suppl 2:S192-197). Diarrhea caused by Campylobacter jejuni typically manifests for about 2-7 days and is self-limiting, but the infection in young children, elderly and immunocompromised individuals often requires antibiotic treatment. Campylobacter can cause enteric infections in humans, and are occasionally the cause of more severe diseases like meningitis, neurologic complications, appendicitis, urinary tract infection, and spontaneous abortions (Glaser et al., New Engl. J. Med., 305: 1444-1452 (1981), Butzler et al., Clinics in Gastroenterol., 8: 737-765 (1979), Schwerer et al., J. Endotox. Res. 2: 395-403 (1995) and Salloway et al., Infect. Immun. 64: 2945-2949 (1996). Campylobacter jejuni infections are also associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (Allos, B. M. (2001), Clin. Infect. Dis. 32:1201-1206). Given the seriousness of the problems associated with this infectious agent, novel compositions and methods for inhibiting and preventing Campylobacter jejuni infections in birds, poultry, and in humans are very much needed. The inventions described herein satisfy this need.